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No, the "best and brightest" at a company are interested in the company investing in them at the expense of the dead weight. They are also not very interested

No, the "best and brightest" at a company are interested in the company investing in them at the expense of the dead weight. They are also not very interested in training, because they don't need it. They want to work on cutting-edge projects. "Training" is something that the poor performers are going to flock to, because it benefits them. Which is the polar opposite of what the top performers want.

0uasidjkas 11y ago
I don't think it's fair to say that it's the polar opposite of what they want, or to imply that all top performers feel the same way. Even the most talented junior developers could use some training, and if done properly it saves me time doing ad-hoc training/mentoring. A company's willingness to invest in its employees via training in particular is a positive indicator for me. Obviously this doesn't apply to early-stage startups and such.
- bunderbunder 11y ago
  One could argue that talented junior developers aren't the "best and brightest." They may be very good and bright, but the fact that they're junior means that they're less expensive to replace, and losing them has a smaller impact on your ability to innovate.
carlosonunez 11y ago
> "Training" is something that the poor performers are going to flock to, because it benefits them. Which is the polar opposite of what the top performers want. I wouldn't be so sure. I love a good conference. I don't care much for the content, but the networking opportunities are great. I mostly do trainings to build my "Rolodex;" I feel that this will only help me when I decide on starting my own business (I want to sell something that other businesses will use, and knowing someone inside of a business >>>> cold calling)
anotherhacker 11y ago
I believe your distorting my original point, pouring your own prejudices into what I said, or I didn't explain myself very well. (Probably the last one) Instead, I'll just point you to Deming's work on management. He transformed Japan's post war economy into the powerhouse it is today. He's also responsible for the much of the transformation here in the USA during the 1980'ss & 90's. Long story short: it's the goal of management to make workers successful. Re-training is the absolute best way of advancing the company. https://www.deming.org/theman/theories/fourteenpoints https://www.deming.org/theman/theories/fourteenpoints
- henrikschroder 11y ago
  I think you explained yourself very well, you said that the company should cut perks and put the money into re-training employees to avoid layoffs. Cutting perks will gut the company morale. Re-training on the job is already available at most SV companies of this size. You want it, you get it. The original article that called out the lavish party was explicitly doing so to paint Marissa as a CEO that spends frivolously, and the author wanted her to move that money from employees to the investors instead.

0uasidjkas 11y ago

I don't think it's fair to say that it's the polar opposite of what they want, or to imply that all top performers feel the same way. Even the most talented junior developers could use some training, and if done properly it saves me time doing ad-hoc training/mentoring. A company's willingness to invest in its employees via training in particular is a positive indicator for me. Obviously this doesn't apply to early-stage startups and such.

bunderbunder 11y ago
One could argue that talented junior developers aren't the "best and brightest." They may be very good and bright, but the fact that they're junior means that they're less expensive to replace, and losing them has a smaller impact on your ability to innovate.

carlosonunez 11y ago

> "Training" is something that the poor performers are going to flock to, because it benefits them. Which is the polar opposite of what the top performers want. I wouldn't be so sure. I love a good conference. I don't care much for the content, but the networking opportunities are great. I mostly do trainings to build my "Rolodex;" I feel that this will only help me when I decide on starting my own business (I want to sell something that other businesses will use, and knowing someone inside of a business >>>> cold calling)

anotherhacker 11y ago

I believe your distorting my original point, pouring your own prejudices into what I said, or I didn't explain myself very well. (Probably the last one) Instead, I'll just point you to Deming's work on management. He transformed Japan's post war economy into the powerhouse it is today. He's also responsible for the much of the transformation here in the USA during the 1980'ss & 90's. Long story short: it's the goal of management to make workers successful. Re-training is the absolute best way of advancing the company. https://www.deming.org/theman/theories/fourteenpoints https://www.deming.org/theman/theories/fourteenpoints

henrikschroder 11y ago
I think you explained yourself very well, you said that the company should cut perks and put the money into re-training employees to avoid layoffs. Cutting perks will gut the company morale. Re-training on the job is already available at most SV companies of this size. You want it, you get it. The original article that called out the lavish party was explicitly doing so to paint Marissa as a CEO that spends frivolously, and the author wanted her to move that money from employees to the investors instead.